2019 Louisiana Derby
- 2019 Louisiana Derby Winner
- 2019 Louisiana Derby Replay Results
- 2019 Louisiana Derby
- 2019 Louisiana Derby Race Chart
During the 2010s, the Louisiana Derby churned out 29 Kentucky Derby starters (averaging nearly three per year), including 2013 Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice, 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner and 2019 Preakness winner War of Will. The 2019 Triple Crown plot took a satisfying turn in the Preakness (G1) as War of Will gained compensation for his Kentucky Derby (G1) woes. By My Standards, winner of the Louisiana Derby (G2. 2019 Louisiana Derby Cheat Sheet Racing. March 19th, 2019 by Patrick Reed. Spinoff (left) will provide a new challenge for War of Will in the Louisiana Derby. (Lauren King/Coglianese photo. Fair Grounds’ third and final Kentucky Derby prep race is the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on the dirt. 2009 winner Friesan Fire has the largest winning margin since 1976 at 7 ¼ lengths while Clev Er Tell has the fastest winning time in that time frame at 1:48.80. The race has been won by horses such as Peace Rules, Risen Star and El Baba.
War of Will takes aim on a Fair Grounds triple when leading a talented field of 11 in Saturday’s $1 million Louisiana Derby (G2) . The Mark Casse trainee was victorious in the Lecomte Stakes (G3) and Risen Star Stakes (G2), and aims for a third successive score in the Road to the Kentucky Derby points event. War of Will is currently atop the leaderboard with 60 points.
Here is a look at the field:
Roiland Career Racing Stats
6 Starts
2 Wins
1 Place
1 Show
Total Career Earnings: $119,660
Top BRIS Speed rating (91) for third in Risen Star Stakes (G2)
Owner: James and Mary Durlacher
Breeder: James and Mary Durlacher (KY)
Trainer: Tom Amoss
Jockey: James Graham
Sire: Successful Appeal
Dam: Anabranch
Color: Bay
This colt rallied from last to finish a clear third in the Risen Star in a second start with blinkers on. The late runner gets a cozy rail post in this spot and will be making one run in the lane on this occasion. Improvement could see the Kentucky-bred make the frame late.
Lemniscate Career Racing Stats
3 Starts
1 Wins
1 Place
0 Show
Total Career Earnings: $41,450
Top BRIS Speed rating (94) in maiden score
Owner: Susan Moulton, David A. Bernsen and Magdalena Racing
Breeder: Milan Kosanovich (FL)
Trainer: Ken McPeek
Jockey: Brian Hernandez Jr.
Sire: Exchange Rate
Dam: Meet at Lola’s
Color: Gray/Roan
This recent maiden winner made good in his first route attempt with a front-running tally on the Gulfstream Park turf. The Florida-bred colt makes a huge class rise to the graded ranks in a strong field. The speedy sort should factor for the early lead in his local and stakes bow.
Limonite Career Racing Stats
5 Starts
1 Wins
1 Place
2 Show
Total Career Earnings: $92,300
Top BRIS Speed rating (92) for third in Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2)
Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC and Willis Horton
Breeder: Roberto Mesquita (KY)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Jose Ortiz
Sire: Lemon Drop Kid
Dam: Colina Verde
Color: Bay
This sneaky contender made up some ground in the Risen Star late and figures to be fitter second time off the shelf in here. The gray colt has trained well in the interim and he receives a fine jockey upgrade to Jose Ortiz for this assignment.
Sueno Career Racing Stats
5 Starts
2 Wins
2 Place
1 Show
Total Career Earnings: $190,440
Top BRIS Speed rating (93) in Southwest Stakes (G3) second
Owner: Silverton Hill LLC
Breeder: Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings Inc. (KY)
Trainer: Keith Desormeaux
Jockey: Corey Lanerie
Sire: Atreides
Dam: Class Above
Color: Dark Bay
The former claimer was a closing second in both the Sham Stakes (G3) and Southwest Stakes (G3) in preparation of his first run at Fair Grounds. The dark bay colt is improving, but he will need another forward move to challenge for the top prize in this field.
By My Standards Career Racing Stats
4 Starts
1 Wins
2 Place
1 Show
Total Career Earnings: $53,710
Top BRIS Speed rating (90) in maiden victory
Owner: Allied Racing Stable LLC
Breeder: Don Ladd (KY)
Trainer: Bret Calhoun
Jockey: Gabriel Saez
Sire: Goldencents
Dam: A Jealous Woman
Color: Bay
This $150,000 juvenile purchase graduated in style over a big field on this surface most recently. The consistent Kentucky-bred has a useful turn of foot and has trained in swift fashion in preparation of his stakes debut. He could be a top-four contender with another move in the right direction.
War of Will Career Racing Stats
7 Starts
3 Wins
1 Place
1 Show
Total Career Earnings: $491,569
Top BRIS Speed rating (96) in Risen Star Stakes (G2) triumph
Owner: Gary Barber
Breeder: Flaxman Holdings Limited (KY)
Trainer: Mark Casse
Jockey: Tyler Gaffalione
Sire: War Front
Dam: Visions of Clarity
Color: Bay
The clear one to beat, this bay has never been defeated from three lifetime tries on dirt, which includes a pair of graded wins on this main oval. The classy colt draws in the middle of the pack and will be pressing the pace from the outset once again. He looks formidable in a field without a lot of early presence.
Mr. Money Career Racing Stats
2019 Louisiana Derby Winner
5 Starts
1 Wins
2 Place
0 Show
Total Career Earnings: $154,400
Top BRIS Speed rating (92) in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) fourth
Owner: Allied Racing Stable LLC
Breeder: Spruce Lane Farm (KY)
Trainer: Bret Calhoun
Jockey: Adam Beschizza
Sire: Goldencents
Dam: Plenty O’Toole
Color: Bay
This talented sophomore made a nice middle move in the Risen Star before tiring late in a race he needed off the layoff. The Kentucky-bred could be forwardly placed in this run at a big price.
Country House Career Racing Stats
4 Starts
1 Wins
2 Place
0 Show
Total Career Earnings: $120,175
Top BRIS Speed rating (93) for second in Risen Star Stakes (G2)
Owner: Mrs. J.V. Shields Jr., E.J.M. McFadden Jr. and LNJ Foxwoods
Breeder: J.V. Shields Jr. (KY)
Trainer: Bill Mott
Jockey: Luis Saez
Sire: Lookin At Lucky
Dam: Quake Lake
Color: Chestnut
This colt made a fine stakes debut in the Risen Star when rallying from well back to be a sharp runner-up. The Bill Mott trainee has improved his BRIS Speed number in every start, and he almost surely will appreciate the additional ground in the Louisiana Derby.
Bankit Career Racing Stats
8 Starts
2 Wins
3 Place
0 Show
Total Career Earnings: $345,625
Top BRIS Speed rating (98) in maiden tally
Owner: Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC and Willis Horton
Breeder: Hidden Brook Farm LLC and Blue Devil Racing (NY)
Trainer: Steve Asmussen
Jockey: Irad Ortiz Jr.
Sire: Central Banker
Dam: Sister in Arms
Color: Bay
This Steve Asmussen pupil failed to impact both the Smarty Jones Stakes and Southwest Stakes (G3) in anticipation of this event. The Empire State-bred will need an immediate form reversal to challenge the top runners in the field.
Spinoff Career Racing Stats
3 Starts
2 Wins
0 Place
1 Show
Total Career Earnings: $60,000
Top BRIS Speed rating (93) in allowance score
Owner: Wertheimer et Frere
Breeder: Wertheimer et Frere (KY)
Trainer: Todd Pletcher
Jockey: John Velazquez
Sire: Hard Spun
Dam: Zaftig
Color: Chestnut
2019 Louisiana Derby Replay Results
A wildcard in this cast, the chestnut toyed with allowance foes at Tampa Bay Downs in his seasonal debut, drawing clear by 11 lengths with ease. The Kentucky-bred sizzled a bullet five furlongs last weekend, and he could be almost any kind of prospect while making his second run since the summer. Jockey John Velazquez coming to ride is a huge positive, as well.
Hog Creek Hustle Career Racing Stats
6 Starts
2 Wins
1 Place
1 Show
Total Career Earnings: $137,300
Top BRIS Speed rating (93) in allowance win
Owner: Something Special Racing LLC
Breeder: Hargus & Sandra Sexton and Silver Fern Farm LLC (KY)
Trainer: Vickie Foley
Jockey: Miguel Mena
Sire: Overanalyze
Dam: Candy Fortune
Color: Dark Bay
This steady late-runner gets a tough draw widest of all and will also have to answer the nine-furlong question for the initial time. The talented colt is consistent but he must vault forward to have a say in the outcome here.
You won’t find many Road to the Kentucky Derby prep races older than the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds. The historic race dates back to 1894, which makes the Louisiana Derby almost as old as the Kentucky Derby itself.
The conditions of the Louisiana Derby have varied widely through the years. It’s been held over four different distances, most recently shifting to 1 3⁄16 miles in 2020. The purse has risen from a few thousand dollars all the way up $1 million beginning in 2011. And along the way, the race has been won by some unforgettable horses.
The first Louisiana Derby winner of note was Black Gold, who followed his success at Fair Grounds with a tenacious half-length score in the “Run for the Roses.” The Louisiana Derby subsequently underwent an extended drought, failing to produce another Derby winner until Grindstone replicated Black Gold’s elusive double in 1996.
But even during this lull period, the Louisiana Derby was slowly gaining in prominence and prestige. Master Derby parlayed a victory at Fair Grounds into glory in the 1975 Preakness (G1). No Le Hace (1972), Golden Act (1979), Woodchopper (1981), and Risen Star (1988) all placed in the Kentucky Derby after winning the Louisiana Derby, and Risen Star later dominated the Preakness and Belmont Stakes (G1) to secure champion 3-year-old male honors.
Upgraded from Grade 3 to Grade 2 status in 1999, the Louisiana Derby has continued to produce a steady stream of high-profile horses. Fan favorite Funny Cide used a beaten effort in the Louisiana Derby as a springboard to victory in the 2003 Kentucky Derby, a path replicated by Country House in 2019.
Indeed, as a lucrative Road to the Kentucky Derby prep race offering qualification points to the top four finishers on a 100-40-20-basis, the Louisiana Derby has cemented its position as a key steppingstone toward the first Saturday in May. During the 2010s, the Louisiana Derby churned out 29 Kentucky Derby starters (averaging nearly three per year), including 2013 Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice, 2017 Horse of the Year Gun Runner and 2019 Preakness winner War of Will.
2019 Louisiana Derby
Certainties are few and far between in horse racing, but with its rich purse and hefty offering of qualification points, it seems safe to assume the Louisiana Derby’s influence on the Kentucky Derby will only continue to grow.
By J. Keeler Johnson